After 25 years as an assistant coach, Bill Walker has taken on the lead role.

The University of Illinois Springfield introduced the 49-year-old as its men’s basketball coach Thursday. Walker was an NCAA Division I assistant for 11 years and spent the past season at Drake.

“I’ve had some opportunities and at my age, I thought this was the time to make that move,” the Missouri native said. “The area is an area I am familiar with. Meeting (UIS athletics director Kim Pate) and seeing this just seemed like a good fit.”

As far as being a first-time head coach, Walker has prepared for it for a long time. The married father of two has coached in the Big Ten, Big 12, Missouri Valley and Great Lakes Valley conferences and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. He was an assistant at Minnesota from 1999-2007 and at Texas A&M from 2008-2011.

UIS upgrades its pay

Walker replaces Ben Wierzba, who had one winning season out of four. Walker’s salary is $68,500, a considerable increase compared to the $46,947 received by Wierzba for the 2012-13 season.

Finalists for the post were Walker, Illinois-Chicago assistant Al Biancalana and Lake Superior State head coach Steve Hettinga. There were 195 applicants. Walker is the third UIS coach in the 12-year program history.

Walker and his wife, Karen, have been married for nearly 25 years. The couple has a son and daughter. Vincent is a senior in high school, while Claire is a junior.

Playing days

Bill Walker played at Warrensburg (Mo.) High School before a one-year stint at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo. He transferred to Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri S&T) and earned all-conference honorable mention honors as a junior and senior.

“His vision and his plan are what ultimately sealed it for me,” Pate said. “He told us what he would do in Week One, Week Two and Week Three. Bill had a plan, and I love that about him.

“He comes from a great background in coaching. His experiences will position him very well as a coach and as well as in recruiting.”

He began his career as a graduate assistant at Alabama-Birmingham under former Illini coach Gene Bartow in 1987. He moved on as an assistant at NCAA Division II Missouri-St. Louis for seven years and at Central Missouri for three.

Walker has coached more than 50 professional players, and five are active in the NBA. He recruited 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Boston Celtics player Kris Humphries to Minnesota. He recruited in the Chicago area while at Texas A&M, Minnesota and Drake.

“We felt recruiting was key,” Pate said. “(His) connections and familiarity with the region were huge for us. Recruiting is the lifeblood to any program. That was what struck us with Bill and his ability to make those connections at all levels . . . freshmen, transfers, Division I transfers and junior colleges. He is so well connected and he is very well respected in college athletics.”

Page 2 of 2 - Meeting the team

Walker met with the team early Thursday morning.

“I led with the term blank slate,” he said. “Everyone here has a blank slate.”

He planned to hold a workout later in the day.

“Once finals start (per NCAA rules), you have to stop working out with them,” he said. “We’ll only have this week and next week, so we are getting on it starting tonight.”

NOTE: To celebrate the hiring of Walker as its third coach, UIS is selling general admission season tickets for $33 for three weeks. The Win with Walker offer ends May 9.